Apple has sent out invitations for an event widely believed to be the launch party for its next-generation iPadbut could the March 7 date also mark the unveiling of a new Apple TV?

That's what 9to5Mac was reporting Tuesday as the buzz around Apple's first big hardware launch of 2012 began to burn up the wires.

"We have something you really have to see. And touch," the invitation read. Those ten words appeared to confirm the recent reports of a March 7 unveiling of the so-called iPad 3 at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts next Wednesday at 10 am. The venue has been used by Apple for several major product launches in the past few years.

But speculation about Apple's next attempt to penetrate the lucrative television market has also been rampant, particularly since a biography of Steve Jobs revealed that the late Apple co-founder believed the company had finally "cracked" the secret of television.

Citing "[r]eliable sources familiar with Apple's upcoming product release," 9to5Mac reported that the company will announce a new Apple TV that's internally code named J33 at the same March 7 event where it will unveil its next-gen tablet.

Previous rumors have pointed to the new Apple TV being full-blown television set, unlike the set-top boxes Apple currently sells under the Apple TV brand. The "J33" product supposedly sports a variation of Apple's dual-core, ARM-based A5 processor that can stream 1080p video, according to the tech blog.

There's been plenty more speculation about Apple's next TV product. One of the most pervasive rumorsmade all the more interesting in light of 9to5Mac's reportingis that the iPad and possibly other iOS-based devices will function as remote controls for the TV set.

The Apple TV picture started coming into focus over the past few weeks with several reports about potential retail and carrier partners gearing up for the launch of a next-generation HD television set that runs iOS, incorporates the Siri digital voice assistant, and could retail for about $1,500 in the United States.

Turn On, Tune In to Apple TV

The Verge reported in early February that Best Buy sent out a customer survey that includes a question about an "all-new 42-inch Apple HDTV" priced at $1,499 that sports a 1080p LED flat panel display, works with iPhones and iPads functioning as remote controls, and connects to Apple's iCloud, iTunes, and App Store marketplaces.

A few days later, The Globe and Mail reported that Canadian carriers Rogers Communications and Bell Canada are vying to partner with Apple if and when the rumored television set is launched north of the border. Canada's two largest telecommunications companies reportedly have the new Apple TV in their labs for testing.

The Globe and Mail report added some details to what Apple may be building into its highly anticipated TV set. The new Apple TV will integrate Siri, which debuted with the iPhone 4S last year, according to the paper's sources.

That means that users would be able to control the next-gen Apple TV via voice, according to the newspaperand also, intriguingly, through hand gestures, which indicates that Apple could be building new Kinect-type technology for the television set.

While Apple itself has characteristically kept its future television plans tightly under wraps, evidence is certainly piling up that something is in the offing.

In December, it was reported that Apple was revving up its supply chain in order to deliver components for next-generation television products due out in the second or third quarter of 2012.

What's more, South Korean media reported late last year that Samsung began producing chips for next-generation Apple TVs back in November, while Sharp is reportedly supplying the displays for the units.

But the reports from Asia indicated that Apple was planning a 32-inch version and a 37-inch version of the rumored Apple TV set, not the larger model that's teased in the Best Buy survey.

PCMag will be at the March 7 Apple event, so stay tuned for all the details.

About the Author

Damon Poeter got his start in journalism working for the English-language daily newspaper The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand. He covered everything from local news to sports and entertainment before settling on technology in the mid-2000s. Prior to joining PCMag, Damon worked at CRN and the Gilroy Dispatch. He has also written for the San Francisco Ch... See Full Bio

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